Why in the news?

• The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) may strengthen its public health security systems by tapping into social media posts, which could enhance its predictive model for disease pattern detection and outbreak surveillance.

National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

• Ministry:  Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• History:
  • The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), formerly the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) 
  • Its origin was the Central Malaria Bureau, established at Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) in 1909, and following expansion was renamed in 1927 as the Malaria Survey of India. 
  • The organization was shifted to Delhi in 1938 and called the Malaria Institute of India (MII).
  • Thus in 1963, the erstwhile MII was renamed the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to shoulder these additional responsibilities.
  • In the year 2009, NICD transformed into the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with a larger mandate of controlling emerging and re-emerging diseases.
• Functions:
  • It functions as the nodal agency in the country for disease surveillance facilitating prevention and control of communicable diseases.
  • In coordination with the State Governments, NCDC has the capacity and capability for disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and rapid response to contain and combat outbreaks.
  • It also deals with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), an emerging area of concern with far-reaching consequences.
  • It also provides referral diagnostic support, capacity building, and technical support to States/UTs in the country.

Source: The Hindu